Day one of BGG.CON, the Board Game Geek convention in Dallas was terrific. The new space in the Hyatt is roomy and nice and people seem to be enjoying the growth. This year’s con has 3,600 attendees, up from 3,200 last year. Check-in was smooth; most registration was done in 40 minutes. Impressive for the first day in the new place. Of course, the swag is fantastic at this con. As you check-in, you choose three brand new games from about 15, plus a pint glass – for free, for you, for being at BGG.CON.
True, this is an expensive con, tickets are $150 and there is a little bit of a feeling of privilege. But it is a diverse con, and the expense of coming and the smaller number of people helps create an atmosphere that is really very friendly and inviting. It’s a community, and a great community, at that.
The Hyatt is fun and seems to join in the spirit. For this writer, the elevators have taken me back to childhood. Meeting new friends while riding a fast elevator is like an amusement park ride, and there are lots of laughs in the elevators. It’s easy to tell people staying in the hotel who are not part of the con – they face the door while riding the elevator. The view and the fun ride end at about the 17th floor, but if you keep going to the 28th, it’s like bursting through the roof to the sky, as if you were Charlie in the elevator with Willy Wonka.
Team Geek has swelled to 110 people. It was pointed out that the first BGG con only had 220 total attendees, so the growth is obvious.
Meeple Cafe.
The Hyatt is very supportive. Here you see the sign for “Meeple Café”, which was set up for the con. So, what’s a meeple? A meeple is a board game geek term for a playing token. Any token in any game, really. So, a meeple is your token, or you, so “Meeples are peoples” is a thing.
Playing board games. That’s a convention? Sure is. With over 5,000 new games released last year alone, board gaming is hot. But board gaming is such a broad term. For Board Game Geeks, there are many categories in this world.
In BGG, there are a number of categories, and the con is laid out with these areas. Quiet games, role-playing games, wargames, social games, dexterity games, and more. Don’t forget the big Poker Tournament, Two Rooms, and a Boom, or the Battling Tops Tournament. The Battling Tops Tournament is a particularly wild one. It’s the game from when you were a kid, with costumes, microphones, challenges, music, and general craziness. Have you got what it takes to defeat all other tops? The Hot Games room is literally hot. We’ve asked for an AC adjustment. Hopefully, they’ll cool it off, and I’ll tell you more about hot games in the coming days.
The vendor room was not open Wednesday; it opens Thursday, but some vendors already had their own rooms ready to go. Luckily, my press ribbon got me into the vendor room during set up, where I had a lovely chat with Richard Ham and his creative wife Jennifer. Gamers know Richard as Rahdo, of Rahdo Runs Through It, a YouTube channel that demonstrates games. He’s a bit of a celebrity to gamers, and I set up an interview with him. Look for that in the next few days, here.
In a vendor room, the games of that vendor are on display, but more than that, they are being played, and you can play, too. Playing a new game with the publisher right there can be insightful; they know the game well and its subtleties and they can get you up to speed on the game, fast.
But the heart of BGG.Con is the library.
This year, there are close to 9,000 games in the library. It’s an incredible resource. You simply check out the game you want, play. Like any library – no charge. The library has all the newest, hot games, as well as rare, old, and hard to find games.
Grab a game, find some players, and head to a table. The main gaming room is a good choice. You can also use flags to find players or maybe a teacher. Make sure you display the box of the game you are playing. Everyone wants to see the games, and it is considered bad form to play one openly where people can’t see what the game is. As you wander around the main room, you might hear what I heard from someone playing Deep Blue in the main room. “Oh my god, I just won!”
So, that’s the initial news from BGG. Be sure to let me know of any questions or comments. See you later, I’ve got to go find a game to play.
Written by Evan Conroy
